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Home » Food and Drink » Helpful How-To's

How to Fill Cupcakes

Modified: Jun 15, 2024 · Published: Jan 20, 2023 by Jenna Urben · This post may contain affiliate links.

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Learn how to fill cupcakes for a gender reveal, birthday party, or any celebration. When you take a bite, you’ll be greeted with a sweet surprise!

We recently announced that I'm pregnant and excited to welcome Baby BOY Urben this summer. We didn't do a big gender reveal party, but I still wanted to share our special news in a fun way.

These filled cupcakes come together with my vanilla cupcake recipe. Once cooked and cooled, I secretly stuffed the cupcakes with colored frosting, then decorated them like usual.

Gender reveal cupcakes are a cute and clever way to let your friends and family know what you're expecting! Plus, who doesn't love a soft and fluffy cupcake?!

Why you'll love this tutorial

  • It's quick and easy – no stress, no fuss!
  • Frosting filled cupcakes can be homemade from scratch or made with store bought cupcake mix and frosting. If you're not a fan of vanilla cupcakes, try my chocolate cupcakes.
  • These cupcakes are perfect for a gender reveal, baby shower, or birthday party!

How to fill cupcakes with frosting

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to fill cupcakes without making a mess! Simply bake the cupcakes, fill with the desired color, and enjoy.

Step 1: Cook the cupcakes

Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe or package instructions. Once cooked, place on a wire rack to cool completely.

To bake evenly-sized cupcakes, use a large cookie scoop to measure accurately.

Step 2: Core the cupcakes

The easiest way to hollow cupcakes for filling is with a melon baller! Just insert the baller and twist to remove the center.

Alternatively, you could use a paring knife, piping tip, or apple corer.

Step 3: Fill the cupcakes

Prep by making the frosting yourself or grab a tub of frosting at the store. Place about ¼ - ½ cup of frosting in a small mixing bowl and stir in a very small amount of blue or pink food coloring, adding more as needed.

Fill the center with frosting using an icing tip or butter knife. In a pinch, transfer the frosting to a zip top bag. Cut a small piece from the corner and use that as a DIY icing tip.

If making cupcakes for a gender reveal, use blue frosting for baby boy or pink frosting for baby girl!

Step 4: Cover the cupcakes

Once the cupcakes are filled with frosting, place the cutout cupcake pieces from the centers back over the tops.

Step 5: Decorate the cupcakes

Pipe plain frosting on top of the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles!

Cupcake filling ideas

Wondering what you can put in the middle of a cupcake, try these ideas instead of frosting:

  • Sprinkles
  • Peanut butter
  • Diced fresh fruit
  • Edible cookie dough

Frequently asked questions

How far in advance can I fill cupcakes?

Allow freshly baked cupcakes to cool completely on a wire rack. This typically takes about an hour. Unfrosted cupcakes will stay fresh for two days without refrigeration. You can fill and frost day of, or within two days of serving.

Will filled cupcakes get soggy?

They shouldn't! To avoid soggy cupcakes, let the cupcakes completely cool and reach room temperature. If they're too warm, the filling will melt. If the filling is too liquidy, this could result in a soggy cupcake, as well. Make sure the filling isn't too thin or runny.

Do you fill cupcakes when warm or cold?

Be sure to let them cool completely, otherwise the filling will melt.

How much do you fill cupcakes?

I use about 1 tablespoon of frosting to fill cupcakes. Just make sure that the frosting fills the cored out center of the cupcake and doesn't go above the cupcake top.

More dairy free desserts to try

Try these other dairy free dessert recipes next:

  • Dairy Free and Egg Free Vanilla Cake
  • 1-Bowl Vegan Blondies with Peanut Butter
  • Vegan Madeleines
  • Easy Vegan Strawberry Dump Cake
  • Dairy Free and Egg Free Brownies

How to Fill Cupcakes

Author: Jenna Urben
Learn how to fill cupcakes for a gender reveal, baby shower, birthday party, or any celebration. When you take a bite, you’ll be greeted with a sweet surprise!
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Total Time 10 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Servings 12 cupcakes

Equipment

  • Frosting
  • Melon baller
  • Rainbow sprinkles
Prevent your screen from going dark while you're cooking!

Instructions
 

  • Bake the cupcakes according to the recipe or package directions. I made a half-batch of my vegan vanilla cupcake recipe! Once cooked, let cool completely on a wire rack.
  • Once the cupcakes are cooled to room temperature, hollow out the centers using a melon baller. Simply insert the baller and twist to remove the center. Alternatively, you could use a butter knife, piping tip, or apple corer.
  • To fill the cupcakes, prepare homemade frosting or store-bought frosting. Place about ¼ - ½ cup of frosting in a small bowl and stir in a very small amount of food coloring, adding more as needed. Fill the center of each cupcake by using a frosting tip or butter knife.
  • Place the cutout cupcake pieces from the center back over the tops. Pipe plain frosting on top of the cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles. Enjoy!

Notes

Storage tips: Unfrosted cupcakes will stay fresh for two days without refrigeration. You can fill and frost day of, or within two days of serving.
Did you make this recipe?Leave a comment below and tag @theurbenlife on social!

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About Jenna Urben

Jenna Urben is the recipe developer, content creator, and storyteller behind The Urben Life. She has over 10 years experience adapting family favorite meals to fit allergy-friendly diets. Join Jenna as she shares delicious dairy-free recipes that are easy to follow with plenty of tips and alternatives.

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Hi, I'm Jenna!

Welcome to The Urben Life! Here you’ll find hundreds of simple recipes that are dairy-free and egg-free. I believe that allergy-friendly food can be easy to make and flavorful. Let’s make something delicious together!

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